During the martial law years, it would be rare to find jobs as a community organizer. Most jobs in the field of social work were done by priests, nuns, or activists. In this sense, they accomplish their work like missionaries. But after the fall of the Marcos regime, an outpour of grants were chanelled to the Philippines to supposedly help the young democracy support its economic and political needs. Development work slowly opened opportunities for paid jobs. Surprisingly, some even offered salaries that are higher than corporate rates. Because activists had the expertise, network, passion and experience required to implement the development projects in their communities, activsts have been the most qualified candidates for the newly-opened jobs.
Today, there is no doubt that the development profession is becoming competitive. Like any other career, some institutions also require a masteral degree which would, a few years ago, could have been compensated for experience.
Indeed, the market is thinning. But there’s a market for our talents. You just have to ask yourself what advocacy you wish to pursue and how you would want to pursue so you could narrow down your target in the jungle. Websites like devnetjobs.org, jobngos.blogspot.com and eldis.org may just have the job posting you’ve been looking for. Mainstream jobhunting sites like Inquirer Jobmarket, and Jobstreet.com now include non-profits n their list of industries, making their sites a goldmine for development professionals.
In my experience, however, the easiest way to find a job, like in any other industry, is by word-of-mouth. Look for jobs in your network. Ask your friends. Don’t be shy. They’d like to work with people they trust.
